1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a clip for hanging a skirt used to suspend a skirt after cleaning for storage, which is attached to a shoulder portion of an existing garment hanger such as a wire hanger.
2. Description of the Related Art
In laundries, a skirt is hung on a hanger after cleaning for a customer. The skirt is sometimes folded at the middle part of the length and hung over a crossbar of a hanger. However, this is not the preferable method as it leaves a crease in a skirt. There is also the type of hanger that has horizontal bars for hanging loops sewn on a skirt. The bars of this type of hanger are made straight in a horizontal direction, which makes it easier for loops to slide along the bars. Therefore, loops on both sides of a skirt often move toward the center of a hanger, or a skirt slides down when a hanger is tilted.
In view of the foregoing, other various types of garment hangers have been proposed. For example, there is a hanger that fixes a waistband of a skirt or a hanger provided with a clip that pinches a skirt to be suspended.
In the United States, a wire hanger with a paper-made cover attached on front and back sides of the hanger is often used for hanging garments after cleaning. To suspend a skirt, as shown in FIG. 7, a paper cover 21 on a wire hanger 20 and a waistband of a skirt S are pierced with a safety pin 22, or a claw of a aluminum clip 23 is used to hold a skirt FIG. 7 shows the safety pin 22 and the clip 23 provided on either side of one hanger. In actual use, two of either the safety pin 22 or the clip 23 are used.
The safety pin 22 and the clip 23, however, puncture the cloth of a skirt and thus leave a hole on some kinds of fabrics or can break the fibers to cause damage. These problems lead to troubles with customers. Moreover, the safety pin 22 and the clip 23 which have pointed ends like a needle may injure a person who handles them. In the former hanger, it is also troublesome and time-consuming to stick the safety pin 22 into a waistband of a skirt and then put a limb of the pin into a cap.
In Japan, a clip for suspending a skirt is used. The clip is attached to a hanger such as a wire hanger having a member for hanging trousers. Examples of such a clip are disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 6-86657 and Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-107015.
In Publication of Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 3047112, disclosed is a skirt hanger provided with a two-forked clip member pressed onto the outside of an inserting portion having a protrusion for preventing a skirt from slipping off.
In the clips disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 6-86657 and Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-107015, the pinching force of the clips must be considerable to prevent a suspended skirt from falling off. Thus, the clips are required to be of a certain size. Furthermore, the clips have a notched portion inside a pinching member or a claw to hold a skirt, thereby increasing frictional force between the clips and the surface of a waistband of a skirt. Such hardware may leave marks on a waistband of a skirt which deteriorates the quality of cleaned garments, and leads to customer complaints.
The skirt hanger disclosed in Publication of Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 3047112 needs to be formed with an inserting portion having a protrusion and a clip member. Therefore, the clip member cannot be attached to a commercially available wire hanger or a plastic hanger. Moreover, since the distance between the two clips for pinching a skirt is fixed, side portions of a skirt with a large width droop, and some small skirts for children cannot be hung. There is also a type of hanger that has a freely movable clip, which is, however, expensive.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a clip for hanging a skirt which can be attached to an existing hanger. The distance between the clips can be freely adjusted, thereby hanging various skirts from small ones for children to large adult sizes without causing creases. The clip of the present invention neither damages the cloth of a skirt nor leaves marks on a skirt while preventing a skirt from slipping off a hanger. Furthermore, the clip for hanging a skirt is small and inexpensive.